So you woke up one morning and found a zit dead square in the middle of your eyebrows. You’re devastated and your flawless skin has been compromised. Maybe you’re taking important pictures or meeting a new client. Maybe you have a hot date with your significant other and you want to look your best. Whatever the situation, your face looks like an explosion and you need help. Sometimes, a simple swab of lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or witch hazel infused with tea tree oil will do. Unfortunately, these remedies are temporary solutions and will only work for the long term if you address the underlying issue.

Take a close look at my picture above. My face tells a story about a holiday weekend of yummy food that’s not good for me. I didn’t cook it, didn’t check the ingredients, and consumed way too much. Since I rarely eat this way, my body went into an acidic…

Last night, I watched Left Eye’s (from the successful 90’s R&B group, TLC) documentary for the first time EVER called “Last Days of Left Eye.” Yes, I know I’m years late, but the way I got watch this in the first place was from what I call my YouTube Adventures. You know how you go on YouTube say, at 6 p.m. looking for something like maybe a tutorial for a Bantu knot-out but next thing you know, it 3 o’clock in the morning and now you’re watching Divine Nine strolling or a basket full of meowing little kittens? Yeah, it’s like that.

It all started with me listening to Aaliyah’s “Enough Said” (the fan-made SOLO version, because Drake is a pain in the ass to listen to), then I looked up “Drake on Aaliyah,” and a video popped up where Drake talks about how Aaliyah influenced his life…

I am PLEASED to announce the debut of my NEWEST SOUL Meets BODY™ artwork: HANDMADE ADINKRA BOOKMARKS! This one right here is the one I made for myself. Want one? Custom-made Adinkra bookmark option is available! Hit me up! To all my fellow Pro-African BOOK WORMS out there, I know you want in on THIS! Inbox, DM or email me at soularlioness@gmail.com for details.

I caught you staring at me before you realized that I realized that you were staring at me, so you quickly turned away a half second too late. Do you realize how much I want to love you back? Do you see that I’d rather be standing with you under the Sun? Tell me and tell me truly….who broke your Heart? Who rented that space inside your chest before me? Who inflicted damage and attempted to leave you beyond repair? Shattered. Broken. Do you see what’s there? I do…let me show you. Let me go to my car and grab my tools…

He hung his head low and stared down at his busy fingers: thumbs twiddling, fingers lacing and unlacing. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Finally, he glanced up at her and asked solemnly, “So what would you have me do?”

She leaned forward, grabbed his hands and stared straight into his eyes. “I,” she said, “wouldn’t have you do anything. That, my love, is up to you.”

I want you to reach out for me… Deep inside, I DO. But this seemingly innate hesitation always gets the best of the worst of me. I want you to reach out for me, but when you DON’T, I get beside myself in silent rage. When you DO, I shrink away and get bashful. Oh…these patterns…of loving incompletely…Channeling Love through automatic, programmed Fear. Is this love at all?

Whatdoes it take to protect my Heart? What does it take to ensure the safety of the Love of my life? How far will this go before I realize it’s too late to turn back? Why do you fear your potential? Why do I? Why do we let these machines take hold of our Minds, possess us and consume us? How far will this go before you realize…?

Today, I thought it would be fun to talk about what makes a fictional character believable. It’s easy to describe what a character looks like and give her/him/it a cool name. But how do you make your readers care about what happens to that character? What’s the secret to bringing your characters to life?